Criminal Law

The most accessible and up-to-date text on the market, Criminal Law, Eighth Edition, uses a wide sampling of federal and state statutes and cases to provide students with a comprehensive and contemporary introduction to the field. Employing a student-friendly and engaging writing style, leading scholar and author Sue Titus Reid eliminates complicated legal jargon from case excerpts while addressing timely, provocative issues. She also weaves appellate court cases into each chapter--particularly those with a focus on current events--in order to familiarize students with how the judiciary thinks about and responds to questions of law.

Completely updated throughout, the eighth edition covers:



New information on common law and capital punishment


The latest, most relevant court decisions (especially those of the U.S. Supreme Court)


A broad range of issues including misdemeanors, felonies, federal and state statutes and cases, and constitutional principles relating to criminal law


The most recent current events including child abuse, domestic violence, pornography, animal cruelty, racketeering, cyberstalking, identity theft, terrorism, elder abuse, juvenile issues, drug abuse and trafficking, and sentencing

This edition also incorporates numerous pedagogical features (boxes, figures, graphs, charts, key terms), newly-streamlined chapter introductions, and end-of-chapter "For Debate" questions, which promote lively class discussion.

The text is enhanced by a comprehensive support package containing:



A Student Study Guide offering outlines; key terms; student learning objectives; and review, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short-answer practice questions


An Instructor's Manual providing chapter outlines; key terms; student learning objectives; review questions; and a test bank with multiple-choice and short-answer and essay questions


A Companion Website featuring additional information about the book and a downloadable Student Study Guide (PDF format)

An incisive, authoritative introduction, Criminal Law, Eighth Edition, is ideal for undergraduate courses in criminal law.